An academic outreach initiative designed to help address some of the needs generated by legal aid cuts has received Law Society backing.

The Community Legal Outreach Collaboration, Keele (CLOCK) was set up in 2012 to assist those without representation in court with housing, welfare, family relations and community safety issues. A new national IT referral mechanism will help litigants in person, including signposting them to solicitors where that is a viable option.

The CLOCK scheme, administered by Keele University School of Law, is a collaborative partnership between universities, local law societies, courts and the third sector.